Ninja Chronicles: An Uzumaki tale
by Chaos-Paladin
Summary: [AU] After a fateful encounter with the ninetailed fox, Uzumaki Naruto must leave his village of Konoha and set off into the world outside the hidden ninja village. Naruto's destiny begins to unfold, but what awaits him in the future? Naruhina and others.
1. And so it begins

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Plain and simple.

Claimer: I do, however, own the idea for this story. Just not the characters.

This is something of a prologue for the idea I've been pondering, in the form of a one-shot anyway. Hopefully, you'll like it. Whether I'll turn it into a full length story or not is undecided. Keep in mind, this is an AU. Things will be different, but I'll be sure to try and keep characters in character.

* * *

Konoha of the hidden leaf, a village that was kept in secret from the rest of the world, held secrets that were beyond normal human thought. This particular village held warriors who were as powerful as knights, had the magic of a sorcerer, yet the speed and dexterity of a skilled thief all in one. 

These honored warriors were known as ninjas.

Surrounded by high mountains and powerful illusions known as genjutsu, this village had prevented outsiders from discovering them, and in return, have locked themselves in seclusion. The village was a peaceful one, tranquil and lush with vegetation and wildlife. Streets and markets were filled with villagers enjoying their blissful lives, free of outside interference. The outer world was always thought to be barbaric, filled with people who knew nothing more than fighting and killing. Safe with the help of ancient ninja techniques, everything was secured tightly and routinely. The village would live forever in prosperity and peace.

However, 'forever' ended today with the arrival of one creature.

Within the next few hours upon the beast's explosive entrance, the once peaceful land was thrown into a world of pain and chaos. Fire and death spreading quickly as the creature began destroying the village. The village's best warriors fell prey to the might of this beast, who took the form of a gigantic fox with nine tails.

It was a battle against the world's most fearsome demon, the nine-tailed fox named Kyuubi.

"Perish, human scum!" The fox howled, swiping down several houses, crushing the pathetic resistance in the process. With this village gone, he would able to sweep the world by storm, nothing able to stop his rampage. There was no one to stop him, and the world would soon be at his mercy.

No one except one person.

"Hey you stupid fox! Stop destroying my village or I'll kick your ass!" A young voice roared.

"Hmm…?" Kyuubi narrowed his eyes, focusing on a rather puny human with spiky blonde hair. The 14 year old wore an orange jump suit with blue sandals. On his forehead was a blue bandanna brandishing a steel plate with Konoha's symbol carved on it, a leaf. The boy's blue eyes glared fiercely at the demon's frightening red ones. "Are you stupid or something, you pesk? Cry for mercy while you can, and _maybe_ I'll give you a swift death!"

The young boy pointed at Kyuubi. "You're the stupid one, thinking you can just waltz in here and kill everybody! Maybe if you beg, I'll give you a small ass-kicking!"

One of the villagers who spotted the boy stared in horror. What was that foolish kid thinking? "NARUTO! DON'T BE A HERO! RUN WHILE YOU CAN!" A man shouted, having a scar cut across the bridge of his nose.

Naruto glanced down and smiled at the tanned man. "Hey, Iruka-sensei! Watch me kick this guy's ass!"

"NO, WAIT—" Iruka's pleas were cut off by the sound of booming laughter.

"You, kick MY ass? I would like to see you even reach it, you insect! What can you do?"

"I can beat your ass with my super special awesome new jutsu I developed! You can't win, Kyuubi!" Naruto proclaimed.

"Super special awesome new jutsu…?" Both Kyuubi and Iruka pondered. Safe to say, no one knew what he was talking about.

"That's right! I created it this morning!"

Iruka almost fell over in surprise, dumbfounded. He always knew Naruto for being a little dumb, but this was overkill. "YOU DUMB ASS! YOU CAN'T JUST GO AROUND CREATING JUTSUS!!"

"HAHAHA! You're a weird one!" Kyuubi howled with laughter. "I'll tell you what: I'll let you humor me. You have 30 seconds to do your jutsu. However, if you can't beat me, I will destroy your village with MY ultimate technique! Care to wager the fate of your village with your super special awesome jutsu?"

'_There's no way that kid is stupid enough to fall for that!'_ Some of the villagers thought, watching Naruto beam with excitement.

"Hell yeah! It'll be a battle of the ultimate techniques!" Naruto agreed.

'…_.We're screwed.'_ The villagers groaned, seeing their end quickly approaching.

"Begin!" Kyuubi growled, standing on its two hind legs. The fox demon placed its front paws close together, its nine tails sticking out in several directions. The tip of each tail started forming balls of condensed energy, which transferred through his body. This in turn started forming energy into the space between its front paws.

Meanwhile, with Naruto, his hands started forming different seals and poses. _'Inu, Tori, Saru, Nezumi, Usagi…uh….'_ Naruto started sweating as his hand stopped, fixed on the Usagi seal.

"What's wrong, Naruto?" Iruka asked, worried.

"Uh…" Naruto gave Iruka a nervous smile. "The funny thing is…I totally forgot the seals for the jutsu…"

"YOU WHAT!?" Iruka was seconds from having a heart attack.

"You only got 15 seconds kid, before you and this village are turned to ash! Better say your prayer's while you still can!" Kyuubi warned, having fun toying with the humans. There was no way a kid, a foolish one at that, could ever hope to defeat him. This would be the end for the ninja village of Konoha.

'_Damn! Come on…what were those freaking seals…? This is starting to look bad...!' _Naruto started rapidly performing random seals; randomly picking signs from the top of his head in hopes of activating the jutsu on luck.

"Times up! DIE!" Kyuubi held the beam together while aiming at Naruto.

_Demon Art: Havoc Render!_

A wave of red demon energy rushed at Naruto, dissolving anything that was even remotely near it. Once the blast killed Naruto, it would explode, taking Konoha along with it.

Meanwhile, Naruto was still attempting to create seals for his so-called new jutsu, hoping to pull off a win out of nowhere. _'…O-ushi, Ryu…what the!?'_ Naruto suddenly started feeling something he never had before. His chakra flow increased dramatically, almost spiraling out of control. His body was enveloped in blue light. The brightest part of his body was his hands. Though he badly wanted to know what he did, this was no time for pondering. If that Havoc Render hit him, it was over.

**Uzumaki Naruto…**

'_What the…? Is the jutsu….talking to me…?'_ Naruto wondered, obliteration nearing. The sagely voice was deep, somehow talking from within Naruto's mind.

**Hurry, use your hands. If you wish to save your village, you must absorb the attack. I will do the rest…**

"Alright! It's all or nothing!" With a battle cry, Naruto slammed his hands against the Havoc Render. Just like the voice in his head told him, the attack was actually absorbing the attack.

'_WHAT!?'_ Kyuubi was astounded by this, his most powerful attack being drawn in by such a small kid. He suddenly noticed the color of his attack being changed to light blue, and soon enough, his body. _'What is happening!? What did that brat do!?'_

**Now, Uzumaki Naruto…call out the name of this jutsu, and put every ounce of energy into this attack…**

"Here I go!" Naruto yelled out the name of his new jutsu, which caused Kyuubi's eyes to widen in horror and disbelief.

_Ninja Art: Demon Seal!_

A flash of light was the last thing Kyuubi and Naruto saw before everything went black.

Sometime later…

Naruto found himself in a black space, floating in some type of limbo. He looked around for anything, absolutely anything, but found the opposite. Without anything to even hold, Naruto ended up floating in midair, helpless to do anything. _'What is this place…? Am I…dead?'_

**Uzumaki Naruto…your time to leave the physical world is not now. You still have much to accomplish. Awaken from your slumber, and set your sights north…**

"But I can't leave my village! No one is allowed to leave this village!"

…**You shall soon see...**

"See what? Stop speaking in riddles, dammit! You're worse than Iruka-sensei!" Naruto pouted, confused.

…**Destiny is unavoidable, but the future isn't. Only destiny is set in stone, and yours is to save everyone else's destiny. You now control a power which knew only to destroy. Do with it what your heart desires, whether it is destruction, protection, or something more…**

**Your destiny…starts now…**

"Naruto! Speak to me!" A voice pleaded, filled with grief.

With his eyes closed, Naruto recognized that voice. "Iruka…-sensei?" Naruto found himself lying on a makeshift bed inside a raggedy and decayed house. The windows were broken, and the walls were falling apart. He gasped once he found a picture sitting on a shabby looking shelf. It had a picture of a young Naruto and Iruka. "Iruka-sensei! Your house, it's…"

"It's okay Naruto. I'm just glad you're still alive." Iruka ruffled Naruto's head, watching over him. "You gave us one hell of a scare last night. Promise me you'll never, ever scare me like that again."

'_Last night…'_ Naruto gasped upon realizing what happened. "What happened last night? Did we defeat the fox?"

Iruka closed his eyes. "_We_ didn't do anything. You, however, defeated the fox. But…"

Naruto, who would've normally been excited about gaining such a victory, felt worried about Iruka's unfinished sentence. "But…what?"

"How should I put this…?" Iruka scratched his chin, trying to think up a good explanation. "That jutsu you used…it's not your normal, run-in-the-mill jutsu, but an ancient technique created by one of the most powerful ninjas in history, Yondaime. The thing is, you didn't really defeat the fox, but at the same time, you did. It's actually kind of hard to explain."

"Tell me about it. That doesn't make any sense. How could you not defeat something, but defeat something at the same time?" Naruto asked, purely confused.

Iruka sighed. If anything, Naruto would find out eventually. He might as well tell him before someone else had to. "You see Naruto, the demon fox is actually—"

"Iruka-san, we know that kid is in there! Bring him out this instant!" An angered villager's voice yelled, banging on the door.

"Damn, they're on to me already." Iruka turned to the confused Naruto. "Look, there's no time to explain. I've filled your backpack with everything you'll need. You have to leave the village, now!"

The sudden news caused Naruto to jolt out of bed, panicked. "Leave the village!? Why, what happened? Did I do something wrong?"

Iruka shook his head, albeit sadly. "No, you didn't do anything wrong. You'll probably understand when you grow older. You can't stay here any longer. Can you move?"

Naruto was confused and alarmed, but trusted his mentor. "Yeah."

"Good, follow me." After Naruto equipped the backpack, Iruka gestured Naruto to leapt out the window and follow.

With the village in rubble, there were many hiding spots and crawl spaces for Naruto to pass through. This didn't make any sense to Naruto. Why did he have to hide from the villagers? When he asked, Iruka didn't answer, but wore a grim look on his face. While crawling under a collapsed house, he heard one of the villagers speaking to another. "Search high and low for that boy! We can't let him escape!"

"That's right! If he escapes and that demon gets out, it'll come back and finish us off!"

"We have to kill him before he escapes! Let's hurry!" The two villagers split apart, searching high and low for their target.

'_Let the demon get out…? But Iruka-sensei said I defeated it. Nothing's making sense.'_ Once the two successfully got through the first half, Naruto was able to take a good glimpse at Konoha, or rather, what was left of it. The intersection that was the middle of the city was in shambles. Buildings were torn to shreds, their remains scattered all across the street. Most of the rocks were caked in dried blood. The area was void of life and hope, which was buried along with the bodies. It was despairing how under a few hours, Konoha could fall to one demon.

"Looks like this village will take awhile to recover from the attack…" Iruka murmured to himself. "Let's hurry. We're close to the exit." He started dashing for the place he had in mind, making sure Naruto was close behind him. They leapt on top and over broken buildings and fallen debris, making sure to hide behind cover when needed.

While running, Naruto happened to have heard another group of villagers passing by. "Get the demon child! We can't let him escape!"

'_Demon child…?'_ Naruto had no idea who the demon child was, but it seemed as though he was someone connected to this person they were after. Naruto started putting pieces together.

"_You have to leave the village, now!"_

"_No, you didn't do anything wrong. You'll probably understand when you grow older. You can't stay here any longer."_

"_That's right! If he escapes, and that demon gets out, it'll come back for us and finish us off!"_

"_If he escapes and that demon gets out, it'll come back and finish us off!"_

"_Get the demon child! We can't let him escape!"_

Everything was suddenly getting clearer as he started recapping on what he heard. Naruto's expression grew dark as his suspicions about what happened started to increase. "Iruka-sensei…about the Kyuubi…did I somehow—"

"Here we are! This is the exit!" Iruka ushered, purposely dodging the question. The 'exit' was nothing more than the back forest of Konoha, a spacious field that revealed the rocky wall of an enormous mountain.

"What are you talking about? There's nothing here. This better not be some sort of trick." Naruto crossed his arms, unimpressed.

"It may look like a wall, but this is actually an exit. Thanks to the use of genjutsu this path is made to look like a wall." Iruka formed his hands into several seals, performing it for a few moments before activating the release jutsu. "Release!" At the call, a section of the wall faded away, revealing a path through a cave. "This will take you straight outside."

"Iruka-sensei…"

"After going through, you'll reach a forest. Try not to get lost on your way through—"

"Iruka-sensei! Just what the hell is going on!?" Naruto shouted, frustrated with his mentor.

Iruka sighed, knowing he couldn't hold the truth from Naruto for too long. His eyes bore into the wall for what felt like an eternity, trying to find the words to convey what he needed to Naruto. The boy had a right to know. "Naruto…when you used that jutsu against Kyuubi, it didn't kill him, but sealed him. In order for that jutsu to work, it needs a 'container', something to seal the demon spirit in. However, the container has to be a human body, namely, the user."

"So…" Naruto's heartbeat quickened as the realization started sinking in. "Kyuubi's…inside me…?" His anxiety only increased with Iruka's silence. "Y-y-your kidding, right Iruka-sensei? I mean, there's no way that's real." The truth was a huge burden on his psyche. The same demon that killed many of his village folk and destroyed his home would inhabit his body. His face was filled with confusion, anger, and depression all in one. _'If the demon is sealed within me, then does that mean it could be free? Is that why everyone suddenly wants to kill me?'_

Naruto made a silent gasp when Iruka knelt in front of him, embracing the demon carrier. "Please…don't hate the villagers here. Many have lost friends, families, and even loved ones to the fox. They are merely looking for someone to blame for the tragedy. In time, they will hopefully come back to their senses and end this madness. However, you aren't safe here. You must go."

"Come with me, sensei!" Naruto pleaded, tears brimming under his eyelids. "Won't they hunt you down too?"

"I'll be fine. I will help some of those who are on your side make sense of this chaos while you take the time to escape to somewhere safe." Iruka made a wide smile, wanting to encourage the boy rather than put him down. "Go out there and have some fun! Meet some friends, and someday, when you return, tell me about all of the adventures you've had!"

"S-sensei…!" Iruka would have laughed at Naruto's childish, snot-hanging, teary-eyed face, had the moment not been serious. The young 14 year old hugged his teacher back, who patted him on the back. "I-I will go, but I'll be back! I'll return as the best ninja in the world and watch over Konoha as the hokage! I'll get stronger and help my village!"

"That's the spirit." Iruka grinned. The hokage was the title reserved for only the strongest ninjas in the world, who watched over their respective ninja villages. He remembered all of the rants the bratty boy made about becoming the hokage ever since the old days. The dream never faltered, but only increased over time, as did his passion for being a strong ninja. As clumsy and foolish the boy was, Iruka had a feeling that Naruto would one day be worthy of being hokage. "Now go. I'll close up the gate and head back to find our hokage.

"Ah, I almost forgot about the old fart." Naruto gasped with a start. Sarutobi Sandaime , the current hokage of Konoha, was a powerful and noble village leader who loved his people dearly. Naruto respected him deeply, treated him as though he was his own grandfather. "What happened to him?"

"We don't know. While fighting the demon fox Kyuubi, he was thrown into a building which collapsed over him. Some of us are trying to find him under the rubble. Though he may be old, he IS our hokage. He should be alright, probably just unconscious." Iruka heard the sound of shouting and rapid walking heading towards his direction. "Damn, they're here. Naruto, hurry! I'll close it up when you're through!"

"Okay!" Naruto ran into the cavern tunnel. He stopped to turn around, waving a final farewell to his father figure. "Be careful Iruka-sensei! Take care!"

"You too Naruto! Live strong and be a proud ninja! We're all counting on you!" Iruka did the hand seals required to seal up the cave, successfully saving Naruto from the angry villager's fury. He decided to make himself scarce, disappearing in a puff of smoke just in time as the villagers arrived at the spot, confused as to why no one was there. After some searching, they left the area and returned to the village, figuring that not even Naruto would be stupid enough to leave the village, or even know how to in the first place.

Little did they know, a legend that would sweep the world by storm would soon take place…

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So yeah, this is something of a prologue. Whether I continue this story or not depends on how much I plan on doing it. If anything, it won't be nearly as long as FD or BL will be, but it should prove sufficiently long. Trust me when I say I hardly planned out this story yet, but I have enough of a solid base to start off from. Who knows? Maybe this could span into an epic that would rock even my on socks. What do you guys think of it so far? Be sure to lemme know, and maybe (possibly if I get enough reviews), I'll continue this. Until next time! 


	2. The world outside ninjas

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. Kishimoto is the man with the master plan.

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Deep in the forest, a large caravan was being dragged through the lush woods by two horses, guided by the driver. The forest was quiet, veiled in an atmosphere that held both serenity and secrecy. Rays of sunlight pierced through the thicket of leaves and tree barks, illuminating the grass and grounded out path. It was a quiet ride, one that the villagers riding were grateful for.

Forests, like this one in particular, weren't very safe to travel in. Thieves and bandits of all kinds lurked amongst the trees and bushes, making for very good hiding spots. Knowing this, the man riding the carriage was on full alert, keeping an eye out for any bandits. Hopefully, he and the other riders of the caravan could avoid getting attack.

Unfortunately for them, no such luck.

_CHING! CHING!_

Two long daggers were tossed past the horses' faces, causing them to reel back and stop. The rider almost fell off his seat, staring at the man standing on top of a high tree trunk. His jaw dropped upon realization, petrified at the sight of the attacker. The wide variety of blades and weapons on his person and the dark eyes that matched the person's cold expression, the man knew who the intruder was. "Y-y-you're…him! The infamous weapon bandit!"

The renowned weapon master smirked wickedly. "In the flesh…"

At another location within the same forest, Naruto finally emerged out of the long tunnel, making it to sunlight. "Finally! Fresh air!" Stretching, he took a deep breath and relished in the scent of forest. Once he finished, he glanced back at the cave. It was almost tempting him to run back to his village. But he realized that was the last thing he should do at the moment. He had to move forward, and while at it, explore this new and foreign world he stumbled into. "Come to think of it no one from the village was allowed to venture into the outside world unless they got special permission from the old geezer, hmph, it's not so bad. Looks normal to me." Upon finishing that sentence, Naruto noticed something particularly odd.

When did it turn into nighttime so fast?

'_Wait a second…that isn't nightfall…it's a shadow…!' _

_HISS…_

"Eep.,.!" With tensed shoulders, Naruto slowly turned around, his eyes wide with alarm. He paled upon sighting the cause of the large shadow. The giant creature had light grey skin with dark spots adorning its reptilian hide.

It was a giant python!

The snake hissed venomously, its forked tongue slipping in and out rapidly. It was clear that the snake was very hungry, and had its yellow eyes set on Naruto for lunch. The snake lunged at Naruto, planning on devouring him in one bite.

"Yipe!" Naruto jumped to the side in a roll, dodging the lethal lunge attack from the snake. The snake crashed into the cavern wall, getting its head stuck in the entrance. Seeing this opportunity, Naruto did what any sane man would do.

Run for his life.

"What the hell is with this forest!?" Naruto shouted, sprinting for his young life.

After a few minutes of fear-powered running, Naruto took a break, panting hard. "Phew! I should've lost that overgrown snake back that. Just what the hell was that anyway? That creature had to be over 100ft long!" At that point, Naruto was reminded of a very important fact. "Speaking of creatures, that damned fox is still somewhere inside me. But where…?" Naruto made a few guesses as to where the Kyuubi would be hiding. Lifting up his shirt, his first guess was correct. There was a series of patterns, along with a circle traced over his stomach. Given he never had it until today, that had to be where Kyuubi was. "I wonder…" Naruto took a guess, thinking that if Kyuubi was living inside him, then it must be still alive. "Hey, stupid fox, are you in there?" Naruto poked at the circle of his stomach, feeling odd that he was talking to his stomach. He didn't receive a response. However, he felt a pulse of strange energy emanating from it. That was a clue for Naruto. "I'm talking to you, now speak up! I know you're there!"

"…**Damn, I was hoping to avoid speaking to you until I found a way out of this infernal prison."** Kyuubi snarled, reasonably annoyed.

"I'm not letting you off that easy! You freakin' ruined my life and had me cast out of my village! I'm gonna make you take responsibility whether you like it or not!"

Kyuubi's anger flared at those words. **"I ruined YOUR life!? Try getting sucked into some goddamned idiot's goddamned stomach! Why don't you take responsibility for your own actions, you imbecile!"**

"Don't try to blame this on me! If you hadn't come to my village trying to blow the crap out of everything, we wouldn't be in this mess!"

"**This mess IS your fault! You should've just either run away or let yourself be killed by me!"**

Naruto tossed his stomach a look of incredibility. "And you call me an imbecile!? That's the dumbest thing I've ever heard!"

"**Not nearly as dumb as someone forgetting the seals for his own jutsu! Congratulations, you fail as a human being!"**

"Dammit, you're starting to really piss me off, you stupid fox!" Naruto growled, crossing his arms.

"**Should I ever get free, the first thing I'm going to do is eat you. That way, you'll know what it feels like to be trapped inside someone's stomach!"**

"Not before I kick your annoying ass back to the hellhole you came from!" Naruto snapped back, huffing in annoyance. He had a feeling the demon fox was going to bother him for the rest of his adventures. _'Hmm…according to the voice that talked to be earlier, I should probably start heading north. I still find that freakishly weird, but with nowhere else to go, I might as well take the advice. Now let's see…'_ Glancing at the sun, Naruto put his survival training to the test, trying to determine the direction north was in. _'If I remembered correctly, Iruka-sensei told me some sort of rhyme to help me remember. I think it was…sun rises west, sets east…and from the way it looks, the sun will set in a few hours. Okay, so that means that direction is north! Cool!'_ With the direction set, Naruto took off for north.

Several hours later…

Naruto let out an exasperated sigh, feeling more and more tired by the minute. It was dusk, and nightfall would soon be approaching. As he continued walking, he couldn't help but feel odd. "Strange…I sorta have the feeling like I'm lost."

"**Gee, I don't know, could the reason be because YOU'VE NEVER BEEN HERE BEFORE!?"** Kyuubi roared, his patience running out.

"Hmph, no need to point it out like that. Like you could do any better."

"**I can. For example, I know for a fact you spent the last 5 hours traveling south this whole time."**

"What are you talking about? I've been traveling north for sure!"

Kyuubi groaned irritably. **"Since your puny mind can't comprehend it, I'll remind you. That stupid human rhyme you've been thinking previously was supposed to be 'The sun rises east, sets west'. Of course I don't expect you to know that. Hell, I don't expect you to know anything!"**

Naruto spent a minute thinking on the Kyuubi's corrected quote. "Oh…oh yeah! That's what it was!" As he started thinking about it more, his eyebrow twitched angrily. "Say Kyuubi…if you already knew which direction was correct…why didn't you tell me!?"

The demon fox huffed defiantly. **"What, and actually help you after destroying my life? I'll pass. I'm going to make every one of my moments spent making your life as miserable as mine!"**

"Your constant complaining is doing a damn good job." Naruto rubbed his temples, getting a headache from the nine-tailed fox.

"Stop right there, young traveler!" A voice shouted, echoing from all directions. Naruto stopped and started searching the area with his eyes, hoping to find the owner of the voice.

"It was foolhardy for someone so young to travel in the Forest of Death by himself." Another voice spoke, having the same echoing effect.

"Who's there!? Cut the crap and come out!" Naruto demanded, not in the mood for taunting.

"Don't worry, you'll mark your words soon enough, young one." A third voice promised, chuckling darkly.

"You have insulted us, young boy! Prepare to face the wrath of…" From the tops of the trees, three men appeared out of the blue, doing flips and random acts of movements and aerobics from three different sides surrounding Naruto. They assembled in front of Naruto, striking an unorthodox pose. The man on the left knelt on one knee, his straightened and aiming down at an angle. Another man on the opposite side mirrored the action, forming what looked like the letter M with the other man. Standing on their shoulders was someone who was apparently the leader, sticking his index finger at Naruto boldly. All three were dressed in the same clothing, consisting of light metal armor, chain mail underneath, brown thin pants and worn shoes. "The great Moya Bandits!" A small explosion of fireworks lit up the background, decorating their entrance with colorful explosions.

There was a long period of silence, followed by a crow that happened to be passing by.

_Aho…! Aho…!_

Naruto stared speechlessly at the trio, tossing them a look of what wasn't admiration, but sheer stupidity. _'I take back what I said earlier. This world is full of freaks…!'_ Kyuubi couldn't agree more.

"You see that, Aniki? He has a look of fear on his face! We must've petrified him with our superior entrance to battle!" The man on the bottom left said.

The man known simply as Aniki laughed with delight. "But of course! Who doesn't fear us, the great Moya Bandits?"

"Uh…could you guys, like, go bother someone else? I'm sorta trying to go somewhere." Naruto requested. _'Anywhere that doesn't reek with moron would be fine.'_

"But of course! We may be bandits, but we are humble bandits! We will let you go, but only if you give us all of your goods!" Aniki pointed to the backpack Naruto was carrying.

Naruto sighed. The first group of human beings he had to come across was a bunch of weirdoes. What's worse was the fact he had no choice but to fight them. "If that's the way you want it, you got yourself a fight!" Naruto dropped his heavy, brown backpack on the ground, taking a defensive stance against the Moya Bandits. "Get ready to get your asses handed to you by a ninja!"

"Hm…?" The trio blinked several times, swearing they misheard him. "Boy…did you just say…that you're a ninja?"

"That's right! What of it?" Naruto gritted his teeth, ready to move at any time.

Moya Bandit no.1, the man on the left, gasped in horror. "Oh no, not a ninja!"

Moya Bandit no.2, the one on the right, stepped back with a look of terror on his face. "What shall we do, Aniki? We're actually facing a _ninja_!"

"W-we should just run away! Maybe then, we'll see another day!" Aniki suggested, sweating fearfully.

"…Wha?" Naruto blinked, not knowing what was so strange about being a ninja. A few seconds later, he found his answer.

He got it in the form of incessant laughter.

"HAHAHAHA! You hear that Aniki? He's a _ninja_! What a riot!" Moya 1 chuckled, clutching his sides.

"Maybe he's going to pull a rabbit out of a hat, or make himself disappear!" Aniki joked, making him and his followers laugh harder.

'_These bastards…! They're mocking me!'_ Naruto growled mentally, furious with the disrespect. "I'll show you what's funny! Eat this!" He placed his hands together, creating a single seal.

_Transform!_

_POOF!_

"Hm?" The three bandits stopped laughing to notice a poof of smoke where Naruto once was. They leaned forward, curious to see what the boy was doing. What appeared out of the mist was beyond what they expected.

Standing in Naruto's place was a female version of himself, his only clothes being the small bits of smoke that covered very small parts of his chest and lower area. "How do you like my Sexy Jutsu, boys?" Naruto winked at them, standing in a sexy pose.

"W…w…w-w-WAAAAA!!" The three bandits were propelled out of the area by the strong burst of blood shooting out of their noses, fleeing the battlefield.

Canceling the technique, Naruto returned to his normal self, grinning widely. "Hehehe, Sexy Jutsu never fails to get the job done."

The Kyuubi, being an ancient beast of destruction, has seen many things in his lifetime. But never, did he meet a human-no, a being dumb enough to invent one of the most useless techniques ever to be created. He feared to know where the boy got the idea for such a thing. There was only one thing he could say that would match what he was feeling about the boy. **"…Your idiocy frightens me…"**

Naruto scratched his head, beginning to feel annoyed again. "Damn. Thanks to those idiots, its nighttime now, and I haven't made any progress."

"**On the contrary, you've made great progress. You have proven to me that you're the most idiotic human in existence."** Kyuubi quipped.

"Shut it, Kyuubi." Naruto soon began setting up camp, knowing how dangerous it would be to tread through such a dangerous forest during nightfall. It would be hell if he encountered that snake again.

A good distance away from Naruto's location, the Moya Bandits sulked in depression, tissues stuffed into their noses. They sat in a circle, releasing sighs every now and then. "I feel so ashamed, Aniki. I was tricked by that kid…with his Sexy whatever-it-was-called." Moya no.1 groaned.

"I too was taken by surprise. That damn kid tricked us, making fools of us all."

"What I don't get is what the kid was talking about earlier. Ninjas? Hah! There's no such thing in today's world! They're only in myths and legends, a childish fantasy." Aniki huffed, both confused and irritated.

"Some kid claimed he was a ninja, you say?" A voice asked, curious.

The Moya Bandits turned and gasped at the sight of the intruder. Aniki paled, filled with fear. "Y-y-you're…"

The person crouched in front of them, causing them to jump back. A sinister smile played on that person's lips. "Tell me more…"

Roughly two hours later, Naruto, without the help of the world's most annoying demon teasing him, finished setting up his camp. A fire pit was created, lighting up Naruto's small camp area. The said boy sat cross legged against a thick tree, his backpack sitting in front of him. He never had the chance to take a look, and until now, didn't think too much of it. But now, he was curious. Leaning towards his backpack, he began looking through his belongings. The first few things were of no surprise since it was packed by his sensei; books. There were only five books inside. Naruto was surprised, figuring there would be a million books inside. Glancing over them, the books were very thick, each having different titles, though three of them varying in similarity: Ninja Techniques: Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, and Genjutsu. The fourth book was a survivor's guidebook, which Naruto figured he would need later. The last book, Naruto had to admit, was an odd choice. It read: History of Konoha, village hidden in the leaf. He was never one for history lessons. Did Iruka think he would be bored enough to read it? Chances were that would never happen. Naruto and books never got along very well, especially when Iruka would throw one at him to get his attention.

After placing the books to the side, Naruto filtered through the next set of items. There were assortments of kitchen utensils, which he would need while surviving on his own. There was a pot, a plate, and some spoons and forks. "Boring! Gimme some ramen and call it a day!" The boy felt almost depraved, not having his favorite meal anywhere nearby or in his backpack. He could only pray that this world he ventured into would have ramen stands. Speaking of meals, he could go for one right about now. Fishing some more, he discovered extra clothes, food seasoning, some kunai and shuriken for protection, some stamina-boosting soldier pills, water, and a compacted sleeping bag. With these items, he could probably last a good while, but certainly not forever. He would have to come across a town and stock up on extra supplies.

That seemed to be everything inside the backpack, which was a lot. Every pocket was filled, and everything inside the backpack was compacted for optimal fitting. No wonder it had been difficult to move around. Standing up, he felt his stomach rumble with hunger. "Man, I haven't eaten anything all day. I wonder if there's anything to eat here."

"**You shoved me into your stomach. Isn't that enough, you gluttonous swine?"** Kyuubi shot.

"Am I going to have to put up with this for the rest of my life? Probably." Naruto sighed.

Shuffle, shuffle…

'What was that?' Alerted by the almost unnoticed sound, Naruto started listening closely to the noise. It was higher up and resounding from the trees. Was someone trying to sneak up on him? "Show yourself!" Quickly, he grabbed a kunai from the weapon pouch attached to his pants and tossed it at the source. Whatever was there dodged the attack, confirming Naruto's suspicions.

"Are you the one who has been calling himself a ninja?" A voice said.

"What if I am? Who wants to know?" Naruto heard the sudden sound of something being thrown at him. Side stepping, he dodged a long knife, which stuck to the ground. _'Who the hell does this guy think he is attacking me?'_

There was an amused chuckle from one of the trees. "How interesting. Ninjas, warriors possessing superhuman abilities and strengths, they can do anything from performing miracles of healing to controlling the very elements of nature. It's obvious something like that doesn't exist. What makes you think you're anything close to what the myths say?"

"What the hell are you talking about? I don't know about any of that stuff, but I am 100 percent ninja! If you want me to prove it, then come down here and show your face!"

"So be it." The person grunted, dropping down from above Naruto. The blonde looked up just in time to see someone flying towards him with a sword.

_SLASH!_

Naruto swiftly managed to backflip away from the slash, which cut deeply into the earth. Landing with a slide, he glared at his opponent. Now that the attacker was in the open, he could clearly see what he was facing against. Surprisingly, he was a young boy about Naruto's age, wearing a blue high collar t-shirt, a pair of white shorts, and blue sandals. His raven hair was as dark as his black eyes. What surprised Naruto the most was the boy's arsenal. There were knifes and throwing projectiles equipped onto his leg and white arm guards, two swords on his back and two latched onto his belt, and a giant shuriken on his back. It was safe to say this guy was fully armed and ready to battle. "Who are you, and what's up with all those weapons?"

"Hmph, you must've been living under a rock all your life. Makes sense with you trying to play ninja." The boy pointed his sword at Naruto, wearing a smooth smirk. "I'm the infamous weapon bandit, Uchiha Sasuke. Who are you?"

"The name's Uzumaki Naruto, the ninja that's about to kick your ass!" Naruto held his arms across his body, wielding a kunai in each hand.

"I see. Well then, by all means, show me what you're made of. Just don't be a bore and die too quickly. I get bored very easily." With that, Sasuke leapt into the air and at Naruto, who prepared to fight against Sasuke.

* * *

Perhaps I should explain as to way this chapter is ending early. I'm testing out a theory, since my updates have been taking longer and longer. Instead of trying to go for super long and awesome chapters, I'm gonna try out short and still awesome chapters. This way, I can go through the updates quicker and still get the point across. Really, it's either long and delayed, or shorter and quicker. I won't guarantee all chapters are this size, but I will try to keep them at reasonable length. I'll leave it up to you to decide. Please review and let me know if you like that idea and this chapter, which I hope you enjoy. 


	3. Night Fight

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, believe it!

* * *

Leaping at Naruto, Sasuke drew two knives from his pockets and tossed them at the boy. Naruto, in turn, took out his kunais to deflect the two knives and jumped back, avoiding Sasuke's leaping follow-up kick. Once he landed, Sasuke unsheathed two swords from his sheaths and held them diagonally, the tips touching the ground. With a dash, Sasuke shot towards Naruto with swift speed, his blades dragging through the earth. "Let's see how you like this!" When he grew close enough, the young boy brought the swords up and across his body, scattering dirt and dust in the air in the process. This forced Naruto to shield his eyes from the dust particles. Sasuke smirked. "I got you now!" 

_Hidden Sparrow!_

_SLASH!_

With a double slash, Sasuke landed behind Naruto, who was tossed into the air by the force of the Hidden Sparrow attack. Sasuke grinned as he sheathed his swords. "I told you not to lose too quickly. Pitiful."

_POOF!_

"What!?" Sasuke gasped as he saw a slashed log where Naruto's body should've been. _'What was that technique just now? Did he somehow change into a log? Or…'_

"Eat this!" Naruto leapt at Sasuke from the side, catching him off guard.

_SMACK!_

"Ack!" Sasuke stumbled back as Naruto's fist careened into his cheek. "Tch, tricky little brat. I'll cut you to pieces!" He reached for the giant shuriken strapped onto his back. "Take…THIS!" Tossing it, the giant blade spun rapidly in the air, flying speedily at Naruto.

"Whoa!" Naruto ducked just as the disc flew above his head, almost taking it off. "Are you crazy!? Don't be flinging giant shurikens at people like that! You can take someone's eye out!"

"_Losing an eye would be the least of your worries, brat."_ Kyuubi pointed out snidely.

"Now's not the time, stupid fox." Naruto grumbled lowly. Sasuke grinned, tightening his hand. With a yell, he yanked his hand back. Looking closely, Naruto could see a small thin wire connected to something behind him. The sudden sound of a high-speed spinning object made itself known as Naruto glanced back to see the blade returning. "Oh shi—"

_CHING!_

"Grr…!" Naruto grunted as he held his two kunai cross-armed against the giant shuriken. Checking back, he saw Sasuke running at him with his two swords. Pushing his legs, Naruto back-flipped over Sasuke's horizontal slash and landed behind him. The blonde leapt at Sasuke.

_SLASH!_

Sasuke managed to lean to the side just in time to avoid getting cut badly, escaping with a cut across his cheek. Pulling the invisible string, Sasuke tossed the giant shuriken that was on the ground at Naruto. Naruto was about to jump away when he noticed two knives pinning down his sandals, courtesy of Sasuke. _'Damn that Sasuke…!'_

"_Naruto! Stand still! I'll use my power to deflect the shuriken!"_ Kyuubi informed urgently.

"What? Really? Cool!" Naruto stood his ground, awaiting the shuriken to hit him. Doubts started building up as the shuriken drew closer. "Uh…are you sure?"

"_Of course I'm sure. I'm the strongest demon on this pitiful planet! Leave it to me!"_

Naruto was sweating bullets as the shuriken was getting closer and closer to striking him. Just before the shuriken made contact, Naruto lost his nerve and leaned back, just managing to dodge the attack. "Phew, that was scary!"

"…_Damn. I thought you would be dumb enough to fall for it…" _Kyuubi cursed.

Standing straight again, Naruto tossed his stomach an angry and shocked stare. "YOU BASTARD! YOU ALMOST GOT ME KILLED!"

"_And I would've gotten away with it if you weren't such a coward…"_

"YOU FREAKING RETARD! I'M GONNA KICK YOUR ASS SO HARD AFTER THIS FIGHT!"

Sasuke sweat-dropped heavily. "What the hell…?" it was even harder to believe that Naruto was anything close to what the legends spoke of about ninjas. He was afraid to even ask what was going on.

"Grr….is everything trying to kill me today!?" Naruto yelled out of frustration. If today was this hectic, he feared what tomorrow would bring. So far, the outside world was nothing but trouble.

'_This boy is a strange one, but I'll admit, he isn't half bad. I better take this chance while he's too busy arguing with his stomach.' _Sasukeslipped two throwing knives from his pockets, readying to strike down Naruto.

"…And further more, if I hear you call me idiot one more time…huh?" Naruto looked up to see several knives being hurled his way. He ducked to avoid the first volley as well as unhinge the knives that were immobilizing him. Luckily, he managed to roll out of the way of the second volley, rolling back onto his feet. Many more knives were being thrown his way, forcing him to rely on his kunais.

Speedily, Naruto was knocking down the knives with his ninja tools. A few knives managed to land on his shoulder in thigh, wounding him. "Enough of this crap!" Focusing a bulk of his chakra into his feet, he avoided the next series of knives by leaping onto a tree. Jumping from tree to tree, he quickly bounced from one of them, jumping at Sasuke with his kunai.

"What!?" Sasuke was astounded with Naruto's feat. The boy's agility rivaled his. Bringing out his sword, he blocked the slash attack, which managed to push him back. He grunted as he tried to push him, but the blonde was surprisingly strong. Naruto manage to land on his feet, trying his hardest to push the bandit. Sasuke grinned. "Heh, not to bad for a poser."

"You really like to hear yourself talk, huh? I can do this all night."

"Hmph, so can I." The two broke the lock and jumped away, carefully watching each other for a chance to strike. There wasn't a sound to be heard, for the slightest one would restart the battle immediately. _'This boy…he's very interesting. Despite his odd antics, he might really be a ninja. If so…I had better watch myself…'_

_SNAP!_

The sound of a twig snapping under Sasuke's foot spurred the two into leaping at each other. Just as the two were about to clash again, the ground underneath them started to rumble. "Wait, what's that?" Sasuke stopped to listen, as did Naruto. Listening closely, Sasuke's expression quickly turned to an alarmed one. "That sound…dammit, why now?"

"What's coming this way!?" Naruto asked, slightly panicked. His question was answered when something, something huge, crashed through the trees. The blonde's eyes grew huge at the sight of the intruder. "AAH! IT'S THAT SNAKE MONSTER AGAIN!"

Sasuke gave Naruto a surprised side glance. _'He actually faced that beast and lived? Hm, I wonder…'_ Looking around, he noticed a large backpack sitting by a tree. Getting an idea, he quickly darted for the bag, grabbed it, and bounded high onto a tree.

Surprised by the quick movement, Naruto sent Sasuke a dirty look. "YOU FREAKIN' THEIF! GIVE BACK MY BACKPACK!"

Sasuke gave Naruto a sly smirk as he slug the backpack over his shoulder. "Ninja's are amazing warriors with unbelievable abilities and strength. Consider this a test. If you survive, try to get your backpack back. I'll be waiting, _ninja_ _boy_." Sasuke disappeared from sight soon after, pilfering Naruto's bag and leaving its owner to the beast of the forest.

"…I'm really starting to hate that guy…" Naruto grumbled.

"_Hey, stupid, you might want to run now. That snake isn't going to wait to eat you."_ Kyuubi warned.

"Hiss…!" The giant snake started swaying slightly, preparing to strike for Naruto. "SHA!"

"Yipe!" Doing a high jump, Naruto narrowly dodged the lethal lunge from the snake, darting away from the creature.

As the ninja started running through the forest, the giant snake was close behind, slithering quickly towards its target. The snake snapped at Naruto, trying to take a bite out of its prey. With great agility, Naruto managed to slip away from each of the snake's bite attack. The snake was very fast to Naruto's dismay, making it unlikely he would get away. He either had to find a hiding spot, or seek higher ground. A few minutes into the run, Naruto had to resort jumping on the trees to avoid getting devoured.

"What am I gonna do? What am I going to do!? Why is that freaking snake chasing after me!?" Naruto cried, dodging another bite attack.

"_I have two guesses as to why,"_ Kyuubi began, _"One of them is probably because a dumbass like you would make for an easy treat."_

Naruto's eyebrow twitched angrily at the comment. "And the second one?"

"_Would probably be that huge bump on the top of its head."_

"Huge bump…?" Glancing back, Naruto noticed a rather large wound on top of the snake's head. A very thick bump. "…Ah crap…!"

"_Yeah…you have a knack for pissing people off. Speaking of which, remind me to kill you the moment I am free."_

Ignoring Kyuubi's snide remark, Naruto took note about the sore on the snake's head. Maybe if he could apply more pressure to it, he could down the snake. Of course, the problem lied entirely on trying to get the chance to go on the offensive. He was shocked to see the snake had caught up with him. "Oh man, I am so dead!" He gasped as the snake shot at him, its mouth wide open for assault.

_WHAM!_

The snake reeled back in pain, stunned from the blow landing on its nose. Landing on the ground, Naruto was shocked to see the mighty snake in a temporary daze. "How in…?"

"Hark, he of fair eyes!" A voice called out.

"Dammit, I'm getting sick and tired of these mysterious voices!" Naruto exclaimed. He was quick to stop Kyuubi's soon-to-be retort once he realized the oddity of his statement. "Shut up, Kyuubi." his attention was drawn to the figure standing on a thick tree trunk, a shadowed enveloping his features.

"I've sensed your plight from afar, and it is my duty to defend the weak from evil! Worry not, Helpless-citizen-san, for I have arrived to save you!" The shadowed stranger declared, shooting Naruto a thumb's up.

Naruto's eyebrow twitched with annoyance. "…Did he just call me Helpless-citizen-san…?"

The mysterious boy jumped into a flip and landed gracefully on the ground in front of Naruto. His appearance was…interesting. Wearing a green body suit and orange leg warmers, Naruto's savoir stood in a striking pose, flashing a bright smile that even a blind man could see. His bowl cut hair twirled with the night winds, illuminating his dramatized appearance. "Fear not, Helpless-citizen-san, for I, Rock Lee, will defeat this tyrant!"

Naruto stared at Lee with a dumbfounded expression. "…You're not the brightest star in the sky, are ya?"

"Hiss…!" The snake recovered and started swaying threateningly, preparing to attack Lee and Naruto.

"Helpless-citizen-san, stay back! I'll handle this fiend!" Lee took on a fighter's pose, prepared to handle the snaky beast alone.

"What!? You can't possibly take on that thing by yourself, and would you stop calling me Helpless-citizen-san!? The name's Naruto! Na-ru-to!" Naruto exasperated. He was getting very irritated with meeting freak after freak in this forest.

"I can't accept your help, Naruto-kun. It's better that you find a way to escape while I hold this beast at bay."

"Forget it! I'm fighting with you and that's that! I can fight too!"

A fiery passion burned in Lee's eyes as he clenched his fist, touched by Naruto's courage. "The power of youth burns brightly within you! If you wish to fight with me, then so be it! Let our youthful spirits combine as one!"

"Whoa, hey man, I don't swing that way!" Naruto warned, stepping back.

The spandex wearing boy tossed Naruto a strange look. "What does youth have to do with swinging?"

Kyuubi snorted at the humor. _"I'm impressed. I thought the Moya bandits were dumb enough, but yet there's another person on your level of stupidity."_

Naruto choose to ignore both Rock Lee's question and Kyuubi's snipes, narrowing his eyes at the snake that was about to attack. "Look, let's just fight this thing. Aim for the bump on top of its head. That's it weak point."

"YOSH!" Lee cried, more than ready to fight off the beast, "The handsome devil shall blossom with the power of youth! Let us go, Naruto-kun!"

"Alright!" With his newfound friend, if one could call him that, Naruto and Lee rushed at the snake creature.

"SHA!" Rearing back its head, the giant snake swung its tail at Naruto and Lee. The two fighters managed to leap out of the way in the nick of time, but still kept their pace.

While closing in, Naruto realized the difficulty he would have reaching the weak spot. The snake was way too high to reach by jumping. Glancing over at Lee, he noticed the boy jumping onto one tree and leaping for the other with great agility. "Hah, that's so simple! I should've thought of—"

_SMACK!_

"WAAAH!" The snake slapped Lee with its tail, sending him flying back to the middle of the battleground.

"Ooh…maybe that isn't such a good idea. Ouch…" Naruto winced. Maybe being in flight would make him more vulnerable now that he thought about it. The snake was no fool. But Naruto couldn't just give up. There just had to be a way to reach that weak point.

_Hiss…_

"Wha?" To Naruto's surprise, the snake started moving back, its dark body blinding in with the night. The sound of heavy slithering could be heard moving around the perimeter, followed by hissing at random intervals. The sound stopped after a few long seconds. Naruto's senses were doing overtime, '**DANGER**' written all over this situation. There was no reason for the snake to be retreating. So what could it be doing…?

_SHA!_

"Oh my…!" Naruto's eyes widened in horror as the snake performed a super lunge after him, moving at incredibly high speeds.

"Naruto-kun! I'll save you!" Lee immediately sprung into action, barreling into Naruto to knock him out of the way. The timing was too close for comfort as the snake plowed through and promptly slammed into a thick tree. Surprisingly, the tree didn't break. A large dent caved in from the headlong bash. Naruto and Lee paused, staring at the snake lift its head. The large python was swaying in a strange and unfocused pattern. It was almost as if…

"Hey thick brows! I think that snake made itself dizzy! Now we can attack it!" Not wanting to lose this chance, Naruto darted to a tree, using it to jump towards the snake. Lee followed Naruto's actions just as swiftly. Within a few seconds, they were on top of the snakes head. The two began to furiously attack the sore spot on the snake's head. Naruto slashed at it with his kunai while Lee punched at it. The beating lasted for a few short moments before the snake started thrashing about violently. The two managed to jump off the beast and land safely.

"SHA!" Swinging its tail, the python performed a sweep at Lee and Naruto. While Lee was able to dodge it, the attack came too fast for Naruto to dodge successfully. The blow was crushingly powerful and sent Naruto flying into a thick tree.

'_Agh, dammit! That freaking hurts!'_ Naruto winced as he tried to recover. He almost felt as through his ribs were broken in. Luckily, it was just heavy bruising.

Lee stared at Naruto in alarm, seeing the boy on his hands and knees. "Naruto-kun! Are you al-AGH!" The green lad barely dodged a tail slam from the gigantic python.

"Ugh…dammit body…stand up…!" With some extra struggling, Naruto managed to stand. That snake was going to pay.

_Hiss…_

The snake once again disappeared into the darkness. Sounds of movement could be around from all directions. It was preparing to make another super strike. Naruto tried to detect the snake, but it was far too difficult to see in the night. "Dammit! How am I supposed to find it!? I can barely see a damn thing!"

Kyuubi scoffed. _"Moron. Your inferior eyes won't be able to see the snake. The cunning bastard knows this."_

"So what the hell am I supposed to do, let it attack me while I do nothing?"

The demon fox made a thoughtful grunt. _"Actually…you might have something there."_

"I should've known he wouldn't be of any…wait a second…" Naruto thought about the last time he barely dodged getting fanged. Glancing behind him, he took notice of the very bulky tree looming the area. He then started getting an idea…

_SHA!_

The giant python performed the super lunge and charged after Naruto. Naruto heard the cry coming from the side. This was going to be a problem since there wasn't a tree in that direction. He only had a second to do this properly. "Kick it towards the tree!"

"Okay!" Lee was quick to follow Naruto's instructions and ran speedily at the lunging snake. Luckily, there was enough time to dish out a strong roundhouse kick on the snake's nose. The force was enough to turn the direction slightly, but it still wasn't enough.

"Damn, looks like I got no choice!" Naruto took matters in his own hands and ran at the snake. There was no chance for him to jump out of the way, but if he could deliver a punch powerful enough, he could force the snake to run into the tree. The chance of that working was practically zero, but it was better than nothing.

"NARUTO-KUN! DON'T DO IT!" Lee cried in horror. It was impossible for Naruto to pull off what he was about to attempt. But before he could attempt to save Naruto, he spotted a strange red aura engulfing his right arm. It was a strange phenomenon, something he had never seen before. What happened next was even a bigger surprise.

_POW!_

A bone-crushing uppercut hit its mark on the snake's chin. The force of Naruto's punch knocked the snake upward and towards the direction of the tree. Even Naruto was shocked with the results of his actions. Ramming head first into the tree, combined with the uppercut, had shaken up the python. Naruto shook off his surprise and ran up the tree. When he was high enough, the boy kicked off the tree and dove at the snake's head with his glowing fist. With a roar, Naruto struck down at the snake with a force strong enough to send it crashing down. The forest shook with the tremor of the force.

Lee had to shield his eyes from the leaves and dust that shot out from the crash. When he peeked over his arms at the destruction, he was amazed at the result.

The giant python was unconscious.

Victoriously, Naruto shot his fist in the air, standing on top of the snake. "Oh yeah! We kicked that snake's ass like no tomorrow!"

Lee turned to Naruto, flashing the boy a marveled gaze. "Your skills of combat were astounding, Naruto-kun! Tell me, where did you learn to fight like that? I must know!"

"Where I learned to fight? In Konoha, of course."

The green clad fighter blinked in confusion. "Err…Konoha? Where's that?"

"The village is right over…" Before Naruto could point the way, a certain demon was quick to object to that action.

"_Ahem, before you go off telling the world where a secret village is, you might want to consider the fact that it WAS a secret in a first place. I would tell you why, but I imagine your brain could only take on small words at a time. Hopefully you at least grasp that concept."_ Kyuubi advised, albeit insultingly.

'_Stupid, retarded fox…'_ Naruto thought bitterly. Thinking on it, the demon fox brought up a valid point. There would be no reason to hide a secret village if everyone was supposed to know. Obviously it was a well kept secret that was meant to be a secret. Even though he was cast out of the village, he didn't want to endanger his village brainlessly. He opted to take the next best approach: lying. "It's…pretty far away from here. Very, very, far away. It's most definitely not that cave I just came out of nearby."

If Kyuubi wasn't trapped inside of his stomach, he would've killed the boy out of sheer annoyance, or at least smacked him in the back of his head due to stupidity. "…I am surrounded by morons..."

Lee stared at Naruto for a moment, letting the information sink in. As though he just realized something, he slapped the bottom of his fist onto his palm. "You're from overseas! I get it now!"

Kyuubi wanted to kill them so badly, or at least punch some sense into them. He could only hope their idiocy wasn't contagious. _'Ugh, I really should've just slept in today, but no, I just HAD to destroy the villages today...'_

"Uh…y-yeah, that's it. It's overseas." Naruto agreed, nodding his head.

Thankfully, Lee seemed to buy into the lie. "How interesting! Perhaps we can talk more once we find a safer spot. Unfortunately, it is too dangerous for us to linger any further. Follow me to my camp! We shall indulge in further conversation there!" Without waiting for an answer, Lee took hold of Naruto's arm and dragged him further into the forest.

Some time had passed as the two travelers arrived at Lee's campsite. Naruto, thankful for being rescued, retold most of his events to the young lad while barring any information regarding his village or the fox. Once finishing his story, leaned back against one of the trees and released a relaxed sigh. "…And that's the story of my life. One chaos after another."

Lee, much to Naruto's surprised, seemed to be amazed with one fact that was pointed out. "You really are a ninja! That is amazing, Naruto-kun! I knew you were a gifted lad the moment I saw you!"

"Um…thanks?" This was the third time someone was surprised to hear he was a ninja. At least in this scenario, it was more positive. "Hey, why is it so surprising to hear that I'm a ninja? I wouldn't think it's THAT shocking."

Lee tilted his head to the side, staring at Naruto with a confused expression. "You don't know? You must really be from far away to not know that ninjas don't exist on this land."

"WHAT!? NO NINJAS!?" Naruto yelled, startled.

"Shh! Keep your voice down or you'll attract wild animals! Most predators hunt at night in this forest." Lee shushed. Naruto settled down meekly, realizing his almost fatal error. "But yes, ninjas are only in myths and legends. Many people probably won't believe that you're a ninja."

"No kidding…" Naruto mumbled to himself.

"But…I believe that just maybe, you're a ninja. I can feel it! The way your youthfulness was displayed in battle was proof of that! I shall never forget this day as long as I have lived! I've battled along with a true-to-life ninja!"

"Ninjas are that rare, huh?" this was a lot to take in for someone who hasn't traveled outside the village until this day. Besides the Moya bandits, he met two skilled fighters, so he knew there were those with talent to fight in the world. Perhaps the outside world was more interesting than he thought. But that didn't mean it wasn't filled with oddballs. "So Lee, what's up with this freaky forest and why would someone like you come to a place like this?"

Lee's expression suddenly turned serious, his fist clenched together at the thought. "I came here to find and defeat someone I've been tracking down for the last few weeks. This is a very vicious bandit who has pillaged many villages and caravans."

"Tracking? Does that mean you're a—"

"Mercenary. That is correct, Naruto-kun."

"Uh…actually, my first guess was some sort of stalker. But hey, that works too."

'_Do I really look like the stalker type?'_ Lee thought dejectedly, "Anyway, I'm hunting a very dangerous man known as Uchiha Sasuke, the weapon bandit."

Naruto's eyes widened at the name. "Sasuke!?"

"Yes. Do you know him?"

"Know him? That's the bastard who just took my stuff! Next time I see him, his ass is mine!"

"I see, so you were also a victim…" Lee pondered about the situation. If Naruto fought Sasuke here, that would mean the weapon user was somewhere close by. This was good news for Lee, who was already hunting for Sasuke. "Naruto-kun, I have a request. Since I am also trying to find Sasuke, how about we join forces to take him down? Your help would be greatly appreciated." Lee extended his hand of friendship, hoping to collaborate with his new friend.

With a smile, Naruto accepted his friend's proposal. "I'm game. Let's work together to take him down!"

* * *

I fail so bad for holding out on this chapter, but alas, I finally came out with it. I am hopeful you have enjoyed this entry and will continuing reading. Please drop a review and have a good one. I'll be sure to try and make my updates more frequent, if possible. 


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